Has anyone tried this yet? I’d like to hear a few opinions before buying everything I need.

I did it (well, more "recycled" primers than made them). It's nice to know it can be done if the world comes to an end, but it's not something I'd want to do if there was literally any other option. They were unreliable and corrosive as hell.

IIRC, the ingredients were sulpher, sandblasting sand, and some kind of nitrate...I don't have it handy at the moment I'd have to look to tell you what it was exactly. You also have to punch out the dimple in the spent primer and re-use the anvil. It's effectively like a cap gun cap.

Oh, I don’t mind buying the chemicals and equipment to make a decent compound. I don't think I’d want to try using match heads or toy caps. I would like to stay away from corrosive compounds though.

The only recipes I could find were corrosive. The stuff they use for commercial priming compound is not really available or something you can work with at home.

400m - Do what I did…..

I bought 5k LPP’s, 5k LRP’s, 10k SRP’s, and 10k SPP’s (all CCI’s) and put them up for long term storage (sealed ammo cans with desiccant packs in a controlled temperature area). Purchased these when primer prices were about $50.00 to $55.00 a thousand so my total investment was just over $300.00 including the ammo cans.

Not part of my current shooting rotating inventory….I will swap out with fresh inventory every 5 - 10 years.

Maybe long term storage is the best way to go.

Sigarmsp226, at $50-55 per thousand your investment would have been $1500-1650 just for the primers.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
Sigarmsp226, at $50-55 per thousand your investment would have been $1500-1650 just for the primers.

DAM - I sure messed that calculation up - thanks for kindly calling me out on that HUGE error….I did this over a 4-5 month period of time and 13,000 were actually purchased from a guy who was getting out of reloading and he sold me his for $35.00 a thousand…..and this is what made me do this because he gave me three 50 cal ammo cans (this is how he stored his primers) when I bought the 13k from him (all CCI)…

What I should have posted was it cost me about $300.00 per 5k, not for the entire 25k…..Sorry for my posting error. Mark

I did the storage route, at least with large rifle and pistol. I’m still shooting Win primers that came in the white box with a cowboy on a running horse. I paid around $12/14 per 1000, and seem to have purchased a lifetime supply now that my reloading has slowed down. This was during the primer glut of the late 90s. I did it again a little while ago with small primers, and paid around $22/1000 for around 25,000 or so. Then I bought a 50 cal, and it came with 5,000 primers. I would think that buying during gluts in supply would be better than making your own.

That being said, if it’s something you’d enjoy, and you like the feeling of self-sufficiency, there’s nothing wrong with doing it yourself. After all, people don’t shoot muzzle loaders because it’s a superior system. They’re fiddlers. People who like to fiddle around with the mechanics of firearms. I suspect a lot of reloaders fall into this category of shooter. I certainly do. Sometimes I’ve gone shooting to free up some brass for reloading. Insane, I know, but everyone needs a pastime.

I would highly recommend you do not manufacture improvised explosives or devices at home. The risks far outweigh any benefits. Even in controlled environments with experienced instructors there have been serious injuries and deaths.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
The only recipes I could find were corrosive. The stuff they use for commercial priming compound is not really available or something you can work with at home.

Because it's actually a High Explosive and touchy enough you wouldn't want in your neighborhood much less your house.

Last year I used 14,000 #209 Shot Shell primers. Somehow I don't think that making my own primers will ever permit the volume I shoot. BTW, I shoot 4 gun Skeet which requires lots and lots of practice, because you don't win if you have a miss.